[let me sing you a waltz]
Aug. 29th, 2009 12:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tellitslantGUYS GUYS OMG GUYS
Every time that I pick up a new issue of "Detective Comics," it is 100% pure awesome, and yet the next issue manages to be even better. I was going to do a post next week when the first Batwoman storyarc came to an end, but I hit supersonic squee mode with this week's issue and so I had to share.
LET ME COUNT THE WAYS THIS IS AWESOME:
1. The art, oh my. I have some issues with the way faces, particularly cheekbones, are being done (unintentionally creepy smiles = bad), and the poses here are unusually stiff, but the layouts through the series so far are just stunning and this is one of my favourites. When Kate is Batwoman the panels are freeform and dynamic, and when she's Kate they're structured and rigid, so the change in this spread from boring to special and back to boring after the dance ends... is pretty amazing visual shorthand. Also, using the insides of the musical notes as pullout panels: love. it. This is far from the most astonishing visual JH Williams III has given us in the three issues so far, but it is so nuanced and so innovative compared to a lot of the 'traditional' nine-panel pages out there.
2. Maggie Sawyer. MAGGIE SAWYER. MAGGIE SAWYER. Captain Maggie Sawyer. Renee's former boss Maggie Sawyer. I had no idea this would make me anywhere near as happy as it did when I first turned the page and went OMG WTF AWESOME. I'm sad that they broke her up with Toby, but apparently if she and Kate get to date it makes me a gleeful little fangirl, who knew! Imagine the possibilities when Renee inevitably makes it back into the picture! Loving it! Plus, it's being written by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ruckawriter, and I trust him pretty completely, especially with both Kate and Maggie. And also Maggie is so hardcore motherfucking awesome, there is just no bad here. Seriously, I keep turning back to this page and making heart eyes at it. I had no idea I wanted this pairing to exist until canon gave me it, how often do you get to say that? I'm pretty sure they're doing some major retconning (age, for one thing) and I'm not sure I'm totally down with the characterization here, but... I don't think I actually care, because AWESOME. I'm thrilled that the next issue is next week, because I don't want to wait much longer than that to see if this is taken further!
3. In an industry that brings us "Gotham City Sirens" and "Marvel Divas" and Catwoman climbing rooftops in three-inch heels and statues of Mary Jane doing Spidey's laundry and tentacle rape selling covers... how have we possibly gotten so lucky with queer women in comics? Isn't it amazing that I can go out and pick up one of DC's current best mainstream titles, which is regularly selling out all around the world and is written by one of comics' biggest current names, and get a stunning two-page spread of two women in tuxedos dancing together? With a backup story headlined by one of the women's ex (or 'ex,' who knows)?
How awesome is it that 'Tec isn't the only book with kickass dykes in it - that "Secret Six" is all about a team of completely dysfunctional anti-heroes, and yet not only is Scandal's queerness not part of her dysfunction, it's actually more normal than most of the rest of the team? (I know - with Ragdoll and Jeannette and Deadpool on the team, and, previously, Hatter, that's not saying much, but STILL.)
Renee and Kate and Scandal are all strong, flawed, wonderfully rounded, beautifully written, totally different, women of various ethnic origins, with multiple motivations, who happen to be queer and whose queernesses are all treated so well without being too overtly political or apolitical. Seriously? This is possible? Do you have any idea how thrilled these books make me? My inner teenage fangirl is even giddier than my external present-day fangirl, which is an impressive feat. It is an embarrassment of riches and I could not be happier with DC. It's like they're getting it.
Comics are my forever fandom, and right now they are awesome. <3
Every time that I pick up a new issue of "Detective Comics," it is 100% pure awesome, and yet the next issue manages to be even better. I was going to do a post next week when the first Batwoman storyarc came to an end, but I hit supersonic squee mode with this week's issue and so I had to share.
LET ME COUNT THE WAYS THIS IS AWESOME:
1. The art, oh my. I have some issues with the way faces, particularly cheekbones, are being done (unintentionally creepy smiles = bad), and the poses here are unusually stiff, but the layouts through the series so far are just stunning and this is one of my favourites. When Kate is Batwoman the panels are freeform and dynamic, and when she's Kate they're structured and rigid, so the change in this spread from boring to special and back to boring after the dance ends... is pretty amazing visual shorthand. Also, using the insides of the musical notes as pullout panels: love. it. This is far from the most astonishing visual JH Williams III has given us in the three issues so far, but it is so nuanced and so innovative compared to a lot of the 'traditional' nine-panel pages out there.
2. Maggie Sawyer. MAGGIE SAWYER. MAGGIE SAWYER. Captain Maggie Sawyer. Renee's former boss Maggie Sawyer. I had no idea this would make me anywhere near as happy as it did when I first turned the page and went OMG WTF AWESOME. I'm sad that they broke her up with Toby, but apparently if she and Kate get to date it makes me a gleeful little fangirl, who knew! Imagine the possibilities when Renee inevitably makes it back into the picture! Loving it! Plus, it's being written by
ruckawriter, and I trust him pretty completely, especially with both Kate and Maggie. And also Maggie is so hardcore motherfucking awesome, there is just no bad here. Seriously, I keep turning back to this page and making heart eyes at it. I had no idea I wanted this pairing to exist until canon gave me it, how often do you get to say that? I'm pretty sure they're doing some major retconning (age, for one thing) and I'm not sure I'm totally down with the characterization here, but... I don't think I actually care, because AWESOME. I'm thrilled that the next issue is next week, because I don't want to wait much longer than that to see if this is taken further!3. In an industry that brings us "Gotham City Sirens" and "Marvel Divas" and Catwoman climbing rooftops in three-inch heels and statues of Mary Jane doing Spidey's laundry and tentacle rape selling covers... how have we possibly gotten so lucky with queer women in comics? Isn't it amazing that I can go out and pick up one of DC's current best mainstream titles, which is regularly selling out all around the world and is written by one of comics' biggest current names, and get a stunning two-page spread of two women in tuxedos dancing together? With a backup story headlined by one of the women's ex (or 'ex,' who knows)?
How awesome is it that 'Tec isn't the only book with kickass dykes in it - that "Secret Six" is all about a team of completely dysfunctional anti-heroes, and yet not only is Scandal's queerness not part of her dysfunction, it's actually more normal than most of the rest of the team? (I know - with Ragdoll and Jeannette and Deadpool on the team, and, previously, Hatter, that's not saying much, but STILL.)
Renee and Kate and Scandal are all strong, flawed, wonderfully rounded, beautifully written, totally different, women of various ethnic origins, with multiple motivations, who happen to be queer and whose queernesses are all treated so well without being too overtly political or apolitical. Seriously? This is possible? Do you have any idea how thrilled these books make me? My inner teenage fangirl is even giddier than my external present-day fangirl, which is an impressive feat. It is an embarrassment of riches and I could not be happier with DC. It's like they're getting it.
Comics are my forever fandom, and right now they are awesome. <3
